Ignored, Rathore lashes out at NRAI

Athens Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore lashed out at the National Rifle Shooting Association of India (NRAI) for leaving him out of the Commonwealth Games squad on the basis of "unfair selection policy".

Athens Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Wednesday lashed out at the National Rifle Shooting Association of India (NRAI) for leaving him out of the Commonwealth Games squad on the basis of "unfair selection policy".

"The NRAI had adopted a new selection policy in March but took base scores with retrospective effect from February. I'm not fighting for myself but for all other sportsmen who suffer because of the indifferent attitude of sports officials," Rathore said.

"If you have a policy implement it from a future date. How can they implement it from back date," Rathore questioned.

Rathore, who was eager to get back to action after taking a long break from the sport, said, "Such breaks help and the hunger to succeed was back."

Besides his silver medal-winning feat in the Athens Olympics, Rathore had won gold at the last two editions of the Commonwealth Games.

The army man also claimed bronze in the World Championship in Nicosia in 2003, gold in the World Cups in Cairo and Sydney, and bronze again in Grenada in 2006 when he shot a career-best 144 in qualification.

However, in trying to change the system, Rathore seemed to have lost his focus. "Yes, I stood up but lost focus and found it hard to concentrate," the shooter who walked out of trials in Patiala early this year due to faulty machines, said.